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Iraqi city on edge as army and militants camp nearby

Enlarge ImageRequest to buy this photoASSOCIATED PRESSA gunman struggles with barbed wire in Fallujah, Iraq. Yesterday, al-Qaida-linked fighters and their allies were camping on the city’s outskirts, with Iraqi army and police units nearby.

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BAGHDAD — Residents started to trickle back to the besieged city of Fallujah yesterday as
militants and government forces appeared to be preparing for a long standoff.

Al-Qaida-linked fighters and tribal gunmen are camped on the edge of the city, with Iraqi army
and police sitting nearby.

A tense calm has settled over the city, although sporadic street fighting rattled Ramadi and
surrounding areas in Sunni-dominated Anbar province, a vast desert region west of Baghdad that was
once a major battleground for U.S. troops.

Iraqi troops have taken up positions in and around both cities but have not launched major urban
offensives, fearing that likely civilian casualties could incite Sunni anger and push moderate
tribal leaders to side with the extremists.

Defense Ministry spokesman Mohammed al-Askari said yesterday that the government’s patience
would not last forever.

“If there is no other solution, then the security forces and allied tribal fighters will enter
these cities,” al-Askari said.

Clashes broke out again yesterday, this time between Iraqi special forces and militants in the
village of al-Bubali, between Fallujah and Ramadi. Roadside bombs planted around the village
damaged several army vehicles, a police officer said. There was no immediate word on
casualties.

Central areas of Fallujah, about 40 miles west of Baghdad, have been calm in recent days,
according to accounts from residents and international observers.

That could be an indication that at least some al-Qaida fighters heeded a call by influential
tribal leaders this week to pull out or face confrontations, with not only the army, but also
fellow armed Sunnis who want the outsiders gone.